English Names

Surname choice that could be used to honor the playwright Lanford Wilson. 

Lanford

Classy-sounding surname name usually bypassed in favor of the simpler Landon. 

Langdon

Currently connected to football Hall of Famer turned actor Terry Bradshaw. 

Bradshaw

The name of a large Air Force base in the US, Langley is a surname style choice that may appeal to fans of Langston, Landon, and Oakley, but also Banner, Navy, and Cannon. Quietly used for boys in the 20th century, it has leaned slightly feminine since the 1990s after actress Mariel Hemmingway chose it for one of her daughters.

Langley

Possibility for fans of science fiction writer Ray. 

Bradbury

Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent. 

Boyer

Burne

Bourne

Botham

Lindsay is one of the few truly unisex names (rather than being a name that has changed genders). Over time the ey ending was usually reserved for women and the ay ending reserved for men, although both spellings are overwhelmingly female these days.

Lindsay

Waspy-sounding choice, well known in literature for Boswell's Life of Johnson.

Boswell

In Wuthering Heights, Cathy's milquetoast husband; Heath is so much more appealing. 

Linton

Slightly less stiff and small if spelled Lytton. 

Litton

This English surname offers an interesting mix of images: it sounds upper-crusty yet macho, and also conjures up the coziness of a wintery ski lodge.  As a surname it is associated with the Massachusetts Republican Senate Minority Leader in the Woodrow Wilson era, Henry Cabot Lodge, who was the father of poet George Cabot Lodge and grandfather of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was ambassador to the UN and Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential running mate.


Lodge

Another servile surname, this one connected to the go-between character in "Charlie's Angels." 

Bosley

Longfellow is the first name of the eponymous hero of the classic 1936 film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, later remade with Adam Sandler. But it's hard to imagine a modern parent using it except as a middle name to honor the poet.

Longfellow

Short but not particularly sweet surname. 

Booth

Rarely heard surname name that lacks the lightness of other o-ending names.

Ludlow

An international and unisex choice, Malin is a rare northern English name associated with the city of Sheffield. In this case, it would mean "little warrior". As a Bulgarian choice, it is a masculine form of Malina, a Slavic name meaning "raspberry". It is more common as a feminine name, however, as a contracted form of Magdalene and Madeleine. 

Malin

Manley

English names -- names originating in the English language -- rank among the top names in the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries, along with such European countries as Sweden, Germany, and France.

 in the US Top 300 include Georgia, Juliet, Lily and Olive for girls, and Emmett, Miles, Oscar, and William for boy.

 include Alfie, Lily, Edward, and Ella. In Sweden, the English girls' name Alice ranks near the top of the list, while the English boys' nickname Tom is fashionable in France.



Less conventional English names that rank highly in the US include, for girls, Kendall, Kinsley, Madison, Marley, Peyton, Presley, Sutton, Willow, Winter and Wren, For boys, this group includes Archer, Brooks, Carter, Fletcher, Graham, Huxley, Mason, Reed, Sawyer, and Wilder.

 that carry a lot of style value include, for girls, Araminta, Arden, Azalea, Birdie, Blythe, Clover, Lilac, Lavender, Posey, and Waverly. For boys, unique English names to consider include Birch, Booker, Dane, Garrison, Hale, Kit, Oberon, Shaw, Tobin, and Winston.



Our collection of English baby names also includes surname names such as Lancaster and Huffington, nature names such as River and Marigold, English word names such as Love and Journey, along with place names like Devon and occupational names such as Driver.



Browse Nameberry's complete range of English names for girls and boys, continued, below, or consult our individual lists of 

English names including girl names and boy names of English origin from the English language and culture (Page 100)

English Names (with Meanings & Popularity)